Second Chance at Love
by DD1980
Summary: Clark triple checks his facts and decides to take a second chance at love.
1. Chapter 1

******Title:** Second Chance At Love  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Author:** Dee/DD  
**Disclaimer:** Don't own them, but wish for it everyday.  
**Spoilers:** Hex  
**Summary:** Clark triple checks his facts and decides to take a second chance at love.  
**AN:** This is a 5 part AU of the Hex Clois scene and what I would love to see happen. Also, the Lana arc happened but the Clana didn't reunite. 

**Second Chance at Love**

**Part 1**

After sharing bagels and coffee with Chloe, Clark left and headed straight home to the farm to do some chores before going off to work. Throughout the entire day in between investigating stories and working as his Red and Blue alter ego, he followed rule number six of Lois Lane's rules of reporting, triple check your facts. He kept going over in his mind what Chloe had said to him that morning during breakfast.

_**Lois Lane is a part of your life now. And, considering the nonstop puppy-dog eyes you give her, I'm guessing you don't mind much at all.**_

_Well that fact is true Lois is and always has been a part of my life. I mean we met in the field and then she took over my bedroom when she moved in with mom, dad and I at the farm. We've shared some close moments and some steamy moments she has no idea about, and we've really grown closer as friends. Nope, I don't mind it at all. In fact I love it so much that when she's away on stories we call each other constantly because I hate not seeing her sitting across at her desk or just hearing her voice ordering me to get her a coffee or something._

**Just because you were burned once doesn't mean that you can't give it a second chance. **

_I had been burned once by Lana, well actually way too many times to count. I should've stopped after the second time because it just wasn't meant to be. I wonder if Lois and I are meant to be. Wait, get back on track Kent. Just because I had been burned, does that mean that I can't give love a second chance. But do I really want to go through that pain again? And knowing my track record with women, if I hurt Lois I would lose her friendship and all that is good between us. Then again, things haven't been that smooth between us ever since our almost kiss at the reception and then I made things worse when I stood her up at the café. And with how high she builds her walls up around her heart, she probably won't even give me a chance._

_**I'm talking about neither of us living in the past. You can never be who you want to be if you're always looking over your shoulder at what could have been.**_

_J'onn, Oliver, mom and Lois have mentioned how I live in the past too much. After J'onn saved me, I told him I was going to stop living in the past and embrace my future. But as soon as Lana appeared, I got confused and hurt Lois. Then when I learnt the truth about Lana, I still focused on her . . . oh forget it, stop dwelling on the past Clark. From this point on I will live for my future and I'm sure Lois is a part of that future. I'm crazy about her, so perhaps I should stop being so afraid and take a chance at love again. Whoa. Wait. Do I love Lois or just like her. Damn another fact I need to triple check._

By the time night fell upon Metropolis, Clark had come to a decision about his feelings for Lois and was prepared to confront her about them and reveal his secret to her. There was no way he was going to make the same mistakes he had made in the past. Knowing Lois's plane had landed and that she would turn up to write her article from her trip to Mexico, he sat at his desk deep in thought awaiting her arrival. He looked across at her name plate and smiled mischievously because he had come up with a cunning, imaginative and romantic plan for them to sit down and talk about everything.

_Ooh, that's some good thinking Kent,_ he said to himself pleased with his idea. He made sure nobody saw him before he sped out of the Planet, to the farm to pick up a few particular items for his plan, and then returned back to his seat and attempted to type his article to pass the time. Only he soon pushed the keyboard away in frustration, unable to concentrate because he found himself continuously making mistakes because he kept glancing at the stairs.

Clark sat back in his seat, arms folded his across his chest looking across at Lois's desk thinking, _if this is how Lois felt that night sitting at the café, her heart pounding, the continuous glances and hope shattering as she sat waiting . . . then I completely understand her bitterness and anger towards me. But I thought for sure that she would come to the Planet and type up her article._

Minutes later, Clark realized she wasn't going to turn up and he felt his heart breaking and hope dying thinking he had lost his second chance at love. But as he sat at his desk chastising himself, he froze suddenly, turned his head to the side recognizing Lois's soft voice and rose up out of his seat. Then he walked towards the front desk, listening to each step she took while staring towards the top of the stairs anticipating her arrival.

When Lois finally appeared, his heart hammered furiously in his chest and he felt breathless and weak, just like he does if there was Kryptonite around. She was dressed in her grey pin-stripe jacket and skirt suit which revealed her long slender legs and her brown chocolate hair freely flowed down passed her shoulders. Then when she reached the bottom of the stairs, it was clear to see she had got a suntan from her trip to Mexico because her skin was glowing.

Clark grinned mischievously, then turned around looking at a piece of paper in his hand and purposely bumped into her. But before she hit the floor he caught her with one arm around her waist and a hand under the back of her head. "Lois!" he exclaimed looking down and smiling tenderly at her.

_Why is he smiling and looking at me like that. Why isn't he letting me up out of his arms and why must he always smell so damn good._ Then she gulped nervously because of the intensity and adoration she saw in his eyes. "Uh . . . hi."

"Hi! Welcome back," he said breathlessly.

"Thanks. Do you think you could let me up now?" Lois asked, feeling nervous because of what his touch was doing to her.

"Oh yeah, sorry," he apologized gently lifting her up and letting his hand linger on the small of her back. "So how was Mexico?"

She shrugged his hand off, replied coolly, "It was fine, Clark," then straightened her skirt and jacket and brusquely walked into the bullpen, headed straight towards her desk.

"Just fine?" Clark queried as he walked behind her.

"Yeah, just fine," she stated sitting down at her desk eager to finish her story.

"So did you do any sight seeing? Bring back a souvenir, like maybe a sombrero for me?" Clark asked looking at her while striking an ole pose and snapping his fingers.

Lois stared at Clark with a strange expression then shook her head while rolling her eyes, not believing how much of a dork her partner was. She could feel her lips twitch, wanting to smile at his playfulness but then that little voice inside her head, shouted off a warning alarm, _don't go there, Lane. It's only going to lead to heartache again._

Clark had watched Lois closely while he struck his pose and while he saw the typical Lois Lane eye roll, he also saw her lips twitch fighting the urge to smile. _Maybe I'll get my second chance after all,_ Clark thought as he sat down at his desk looking across at her. But the tone of voice she used with her next words made him second guess that thought.

"I wasn't on a holiday, Clark, so no sight seeing . . . no souvenirs." She then faced her monitor and began typing her story.

He sighed solemnly, wondering why she was being cold towards him. When they had spoken on the phone before she left for Mexico, they had a calm and friendly talk. Except for those few slight disagreements of opinion over Chloe and Jimmy's marital problems. But now it was like she couldn't stand being in the same vicinity as him. Little did she know it's just made him more determined to break down the wall she had rebuilt around her heart.

"I know it wasn't a holiday, Lois. I was just curious about what you did . . . because . . . well you look great. The Mexican sun it really agreed with you," he said before adding enthusiastically, "Besides, it's Mexico. They make good tacos."

"I was in the sun a lot, so that would explain the tan," Lois said sarcastically while looking at him around the monitor. "I'm guessing that's what you're referring to."

"That's definitely what I was referring to," Clark replied with a confident smile.

Lois was curious about where this confident, bold, sexy, flirty and suave Clark Kent had come from. It wasn't fair of him to do this to her. Ever since he had hurt her at the reception and stood her up at the café, she decided to ignore any feelings that existed for him and just be friends. But one look into his eyes and rumble of his deep voice brought her wall tumbling down.

She held a hand up to stop him from talking, took a deep breath to pushing the feeling back down, and then placed the protective wall back up. "Clark, look, I'd really like to just sit here and type my story quietly, so I could hand it in and go home."

Clark waved his hand dismissively and said, "Ok Lois, no problem. I have my own story to finish anyway." When he received a nod of appreciation and saw her turn to focus on her story, Clark pretended to focus on his. But what he really was doing was plotting his next move inside his head.

***************************

Having already written half of her article on the plane, Lois finished hers quickly. After she checked it numerous times for mistakes and corrected any she found, she sent it to the printer and then headed to the Editor's office to hand it in. Clark had watched and waited for the right time to set up the second part of his plan, so when he saw her exit the bullpen, he picked up the phone and talked for a few minutes, then hung up feeling hopeful that everything was going to work out how he imagined.

When Lois re-entered the bullpen, she walked over and sat down at her desk staring challengingly at Clark as he typed, while swinging back and forth squeaking her chair. Now that she had finished her article she decided to place her focus on the interesting conversation she had with Chloe about Clark and a certain item in his top desk drawer.

Clark's fingers flew rapidly over the keyboard as he finished his article, while lost deep in thought about what her reaction was going to be when he tells her everything. _She'll either reciprocate the feelings when I tell her I love her, laugh it off as a joke or slap me for hurting her. But how will she react when I tell her I'm the Red Blue Blur and about my heritage. Will she react the same way she did when I told her in the previous time?_ However, due to the distraction of Lois's intense stare and chair squeaking he couldn't concentrate on anything. _I guess it's payback for distracting her that night with my chair. _

Clark leaned around the monitor and raised an eyebrow asking, "Is there something I can help you with, Lois?"

Lois grinned and continued to swing her chair side to side. "Just out of curiosity, how long did it take you to realize I wasn't myself?"

Clark rolled his eyes, replying, "I'll admit, I should have realized straight away because you weren't your usual bossy and demanding self."

"Bossy and demanding, hey," Lois repeated in an amused tone.

"In an attractive way, of course," Clark charmingly added.

Lois had been thrown by his attractive comment, so she quickly dismissed it. "Well, a certain blonde source told me you like my attractive assertive flair."

_Chloe or Oliver, _Clark wondered as he looked at her stunned. "W . . . well, she's wrong."

"I never said it was she. And my sources are never wrong." She glanced back and forth between him and the drawer, conveying what she was talking about. "Come on, let me see it."

Clark cleared his throat and looked at her blankly. "I don't know what you're talking about, Lois." He glanced sideways at the drawer and said, "Whatever Chloe told you is a lie."

She smiled and stood up saying, "No, she's not, Smallville." Then with her eyes locked on his the entire time, she walked around and sat on his desk extending her hand out to him.

_Chloe._ Clark sighed defeated, while silently thinking, _note to self, find the blonde source and fry her with heat vision. _

Lois cleared her throat. "Hand it over."

Clark looked back and forth at Lois and the drawer contemplating whether to give it to her because he knew she was going to take full pleasure in teasing him about it. Then when he heard her clear her throat impatiently, he reached over and pulled out a picture frame. Instead of a picture inside, there was a piece of paper titled "Lois Rules of Reporting" and had a list of the rules she had written for him. He glanced around to make sure nobody was watching while he handed it to her, and then waited for the teasing to begin. Only it never did and when he faced her, he saw her staring at the frame.

Lois broke the silence a few minutes later and looked at Clark with a confused expression. "When I wrote these rules, I was so sure you would throw them away. Why did you keep them?"

Clark rose up off of his chair and leaned on the desk beside her. "They're a memory of my first day at work here and my first day at work with you . . . as my partner." Then he nudged her in the shoulder, adding, "They're also a reminder that Lois Lane is a one of a kind, accept NO substitutes."

She chuckled and nudged him back, unsure of what to say or how to respond to his affection. When he had stood her up at the café, she had made a painful decision to forget what had happened, to bury her feelings for him and just be friends, but his affectionate words, intense gazes and touches were confusing her. Then when she saw him move to stand directly in front of her, she felt her heart race and butterflies flutter wildly in her stomach. But that warning alarm went off inside her head again.

Clark grinned at the effect he was having on her and felt her tense up as he cupped her cheek. "And the other reason I kept and framed the rules is, because they're important to you . . . which makes them important to me."

"But . . . I don't." She removed his hand from her cheek and headed to her desk, only to spin back around and snarl at him frustrated. "Why are you doing this to me, Clark? Why are you saying these things? I told you that if you turned up at the coffee date, great, but if you didn't then I knew how you felt. Well you didn't turn up, so—"

"Lois . . . that was a mistake and—"

"Yes, it was. So I decided to just forget what happened." She then took a few steps closer towards him and stood with her arms folded across her chest, glaring at him. "So why are you saying these things now?"

Clark honestly answered, "Because you're special to me, Lois." She rolled her eyes at him in disbelief, so he added, "And because I'm in love with you."

"Huh!" Lois tensed up at his declaration and shook her head as a million questions, thoughts and emotions engulfed her.

Clark saw her tense up, and that he had also gained the attention of his co-workers in the bullpen but he wasn't taking anything back, so he grasped her hands in his. "I know I've hurt you. All I'm asking for is a chance to prove how much I love you." She looked up into his eyes, opening and closing her mouth to answer him but when nothing came out, he continued explaining. "I knew you'd come to the Planet to write your article, so I set up something special to make up for the coffee date and so we could be alone to talk."

"How do I know you won't change your mind tomorrow? Or if Lana were to return, how do I know you're not going to treat me like you did?" She questioned while still unconsciously holding his hands.

"I'm not going to change my mind and I'm most certainly never going to hurt you or forget you again." He placed a finger under her chin and lifted it up so they were looking at one another. "Lois, you know as well as I do there's more between us than just friendship. I also know you feel the same way but are just as afraid as I am to admit it . . . well unless of course you're chained to a chair and forced to admit it during a psycho's test."

Lois snapped out of her daze growling, "I am not afraid to admit anything. I also have no idea what you're talking about, Clark."

Clark smirked at her denial and said, "I'm talking about when you lied to me in the elevator. You never removed the sensor from your finger, Lois, so when you answered yes to loving me it was the truth."

Lois looked up at him wide eyed in shock wondering how he knew that. "Ok, so maybe I felt that way back then, but feelings change, Clark. A lot has happened since then and . . . well I just don't feel the same way anymore."

Clark scoffed and said, "Now you're the one lying. I can see you're fighting those feelings right now and I know for a fact you lied to me on the night of our coffee date. See, I have a confession to make, well actually three but let's leave the other two for later." He paused and took a deep breath to prepare himself, knowing she would be angry with his confession. "I did turn up at the café that night, but I just didn't have the courage to cross the road. When I received your text message I know you weren't following a lead, because I saw you."

Lois stepped back and scowled at him angrily. "You what? What had you so afraid that you couldn't come across the road to me? It was just a coffee, Clark."

"It wasn't just coffee, Lois and you know it." Clark sat on the edge of her desk and ran a hand through his hair frustrated. "The main reason is connected to one of my other confessions but the other reason is fear. I was afraid of what would change between us." He felt Lois' shoulders touch his as she sat on the desk beside him, listening intently. "I've only ever known love, or what I thought was love, with one person. She left and I blamed myself, but then you helped me realize that I had to move on and I did." He turned and smiled at her saying, "My heart found you and the intensity of those feelings terrified the hell out of me."

Lois nodded her head softly saying, "They terrified me as well, Smallville . . . but I was willing to see if there was anything between us."

Clark pushed himself off the desk and moved to stand in front of her. "So you're not willing to now?"

She felt the protective wall crumbling at the sound of defeat in his voice, so decided to be truthful for the sake of their friendship. "You stood me up, Clark. I just don't know if I want to take the chance."

He grasped her hands tightly in his and pleaded, "Lois. I know I hurt you. I know I made you feel unimportant and I know you don't believe me when I say I love you. Please, give me a chance. Give us a chance and I promise you won't regret it."

"Ahem . . . uh, sorry to interrupt, but I have a delivery for a Mr. Kent."

Lois saw a young Asian boy standing in the doorway, holding a box with the name Wong Ton Charlie's on the side and a bunch of red and yellow roses sitting on top of the box. Wong Ton Charlie's was her and Clark's favorite Chinese take away, so she just guessed he had ordered some food for himself and the rest was someone else's order.

Clark gave her a mischievous smile and approached the boy to pay him. Then a few minutes later, he walked back over to Lois holding the box in one hand and the flowers in the other.

He held the flowers out, charmingly saying, "For you, my love."

Lois fought back a smile as she accepted the flowers. "What is this all about, Smallville?"

"I said I had something special planned to make up for the coffee date and to prove how much I love you." So he confirmed, "Well the roses and Chinese food are part one of the plan."

"And what's part two . . . not that I really care?" Lois inquired discreetly smelling the roses.

"Now if I told you that, it wouldn't be a surprise, would it," Clark commented as he walked over to his desk.

"I don't like surprises anyway," she stated unconvincingly watching him the entire time.

Clark walked backwards out of the bullpen saying, "Just meet me on the roof in three minutes," then turned around and headed towards the elevator.

Lois stood in the doorway watching him enter the elevator, then re-entered the bullpen and sat down at her desk. She tapped her finger nails in time with the beating of her heart and looked back and forth at Clark's desk, the stairs and the elevator asking herself whether she should go or not. Her head and heart were conflicted. Her head was saying not to go and her heart was telling her to take another chance.

Meanwhile, Clark stood up on the roof facing the door, anxiously waiting and hoping she would appear.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2**

Lois had sat at her desk, keenly watching the black second hand tick by on the clock. Then as soon as her three minutes were up, she stood up behind her desk and made her way out of the bullpen only to stop in the hallway looking back and forth at the stairs and elevator. She was still conflicted between-take another chance or walk away, but as her feet involuntarily moved in the direction of the elevator she realized her heart was leading the way.

As soon as the elevator reached the top floor, Lois stepped out then slowly yet eagerly walked down the hallway towards the entrance to the roof. with Each step she took closer to the door, her heart beat more rapidly, her hands turned clammy and she kept mumbling "what the hell am I doing" incoherently to herself, yet her curiosity increased to what she was going to find. She passed a guard who smiled and winked conspiratorially at her, but she didn't stop to question him. She simply continued on and proceeded up the short flight of hardwood stairs then headed towards the large steel door which accessed the roof.

Before opening the door, she looked back at the guard, who was gesturing for her to go ahead then turned back to the door and took a deep breath knowing there was no going back once she pushed down on the handle. With one last calming breath, she pushed it open and the scene before her eyes made her gasp in surprise.

A red blanket had been neatly spread out on the ground and the roof adorned with candles and strings of white fairy lights strung up on the side of the building and above the door. As she continued to look around, Lois saw small Chinese take out cartons neatly placed in the middle of the blanket, along with a bottle of champagne and two glasses. Slow romantic notes of a song drifted towards her from a small stereo placed to the side and then her eyes traveled to Clark, who stood amongst it all smiling at her, gesturing with one hand at the blanket and holding a single red rose in the other.

"Smallville! What have you done to the roof?" Lois asked as she shut the door and walked towards him, turning around in circles looking in awe at everything.

"I decorated it for you," he answered with a quick bow, smiling when she stopped directly in front of him.

Her lips curved into a small smile. "I can see that."

"So how do you feel about surprises now?" He inquired extending the rose out to her.

"They're alright I suppose." She brought the rose closer and smiled while inhaling the sweet aroma. "But how did you get all this set up within three minutes? Or did you already have it set up ahead of time?"

"Does it really matter?"

"No . . . not really. It's just well—" she looked up at him biting her bottom lip, struggling to get the right words out. "It's just well . . . thank you . . . nobody has ever—"

Clark knew she wasn't one for showing emotions, so he nodded his head with silent understanding and leaned down brushing his lips gently over cheek. "You're welcome, Lois. I'm glad you like it."

"I do, but what if someone else comes up here?" She asked, looking over her shoulder at the door.

"Nobody will." Then he leaned down and whispered into her ear, "Because the guards are under strict instructions to not let anyone up here unless there's an emergency."

She looked up into his eyes impressed. "Well that certainly explains why the guard in the lobby gave me a funny look and why the one in the hallway smiled and winked at me as I walked by him." She snorted and punched him in the shoulder. "They knew what you were doing."

Clark grinned looking innocent. "They knew I had something planned, just not the exact details."

Lois tilted her head to the side and looked at him amused. "How exactly did you con them into going along with the plan?"

"I didn't con them. I simply explained that I wanted to do something special . . . for my girlfriend." Then he smiled and cheekily added, "And that I wanted no interruptions."

"So in other words, you lied," Lois scolded, pointing her index finger at him accusingly.

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Fine, but only a small white lie," he replied.

"Clark Kent! What would your mother say?" She teased.

"That she's proud of her boy for making such a romantic gesture for," he reached out, snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her flush up against him huskily saying, "The woman he loves."

"What about when you tell her I'm the woman you supposedly love?" Lois inquired doubtfully.

"First of all, there's no supposedly about it, Lois. I do love you," Clark stated, looking her straight in the eyes conveying how genuine he felt.

"I'm beginning to realize that." Lois' heart hammered furiously as if there were a million drums thumping inside her chest, and butterflies flapping wildly inside her stomach from the intensity of love in his eyes and voice.

"As for mom, well she'll continuously scream "I knew it!" while jumping for joy," Clark smirked as he wrapped his other arm around her waist.

Lois scoffed, "I doubt that very much," then extracted herself from his arms and walked over to sit down on the blanket with her legs curled under her. Seconds after Clark sat down, she asked, "What makes you believe that would be her reaction about . . . well us, if we do become a couple?"

"Well I had to talk to someone about how I felt about you. I didn't want to talk to Chloe about it and Oliver is your ex, which would be uncomfortable, so I called mom." He smiled remembering the phone call and his mother's confession. "Funny thing is I never said your name, but she knew straight away I was talking about you."

"How?" Lois frowned confused.

He shrugged his shoulders. "By my tone of voice, which According to mom, sounds more mature and confident around you or when talking about you."

"Talk about me often, do you?" Lois smirked teasingly.

"No. it's just well . . . mom, you know she," Clark cleared his throat and stammered nervously, "Well she quite often asks how you are and what you've been doing . . . those kinds of things."

"Mm-hmm, so then you do talk about me?" Lois clenched her lips tight to hold back the grin that wanted to burst forth.

"Well yeah. Mom and dad always thought of and loved you like a daughter, so—"

"Wait, they what?

Clark smirked. "They loved you like a daughter. Dad told me himself the night of his rally. When he arrived home, after almost being shot by the psycho Lex supporter, he found me up in the loft."

"Brooding?"

"No. Thinking . . . about you, about how grateful I was that you had been there to stop that girl." He paused to see what her reaction was, then smiled and continued. "Anyway, dad sat down on the couch and said he was grateful to have a son and daughter that he loved and that loved him enough to save his life on a regular basis."

"He really said that?" Lois asked holding back the tears trying to break through.

Clark nodded his head. "Yeah, he did, and mom still loves you like a daughter. So when she asks about you, I tell her." He saw her expression change within seconds from denial to touched and straight back to denial.

"There's no way they could've felt like that," Lois scoffed dismissively. "I'm sure they felt that way about Chloe and Lana as well."

Clark shook his head and pointed at her. "No. You hold a special place in both their hearts."

"I don't know why. I was just an annoying house guest," Lois said rolling her eyes dismissively.

Clark reached out, placed one of his hands over hers and smiled, "No, you're special, and mom would consider us dating a step closer to actually making you her daughter. Well daughter-in law."

"I never . . . I never knew." Lois was speechless and turned to gaze up at the sky so he wouldn't see the tears that his revelation had brought forth, falling down her cheek. Once she regained her composure, she roughly wiped away the tears then faced him and smiled appreciatively, "They made me feel like one of the family," softly adding, "And you did too, no matter how much we disagreed."

Clark linked their fingers together saying, "You always are a part of the family, Lois. And let me reassure you, I never once thought of you as a sister." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, "I always thought of you as the hot bed stealing, annoying house guest, turned best friend."

"You think I'm hot?" Lois teased.

Embarrassed he had confided a bit more than intended, Clark felt the blood rush to his cheeks. He quickly looked away, nervous and shy from what he just admitted and the teasing from Lois, then attempted to change the subject, "Yeah, umm, er . . . maybe we should eat before the food gets cold."

While pointing out and telling her what he brought, he stuttered his words and clumsily knocked over some of the cartons. Thankfully no food spilled out because the lids were closed, but unfortunately as he began to pour them each a glass of champagne, Lois chose that moment to tease him some more about calling her hot.

"So you think I'm hot, do you Smallville?" He blushed and turned nervous and shy again, so she said, "Well I have a confession too. I think you're HOT as well. And Clark Jr. isn't too shabby either."

Clark silently cursed because as she said Clark Jr., he spilled champagne on the blanket and himself. To cover his embarrassment, he flashed a charming grin while handing her a glass and after toasting to each other, they brought the glass to their lips and shared a shy smile at one another over the rim.

*******************

Dinner began in silence as Lois and Clark sat deep in thought, reflecting back on all that had been revealed. Each painfully aware of each other, yet unsure of what to say or do next as they quietly ate their meals, waiting and hoping the other would start a conversation. However when the silence and tension became too much for Lois, she began sharing stories about her Mexican adventures with the armed rebels and oppressed workers.

Clark looked and listened to her talk about her assignment with one ear, while at the same time running through his head the best way to discuss his next two confessions. _The second one will be easy and enjoyable for us both . . . considering I know what her kisses taste like._ His lips curved into a half smile as he relived the many heated kisses they have shared, only to be broken out of his thoughts by Lois snapping her fingers in front of his face. "Huh. Sorry. What?"

Lois scoffed and rolled her eyes at him. "I asked if you were even listening to me, but considering you just said "what" I'll take that as you weren't."

Clark cleared his throat and shook his head. "No, I was listening. I heard everything you said." When Lois tilted her head to the side and threw him a doubtful look, he proved that he had indeed been listening. "You were telling me about the factory, the workers and the lunatic boss." He picked up an egg roll, took a bite and leaned back on one hand saying, "And you were just about to tell me about one of the workers and his family's situation."

"Yeah, I was. Sorry, for jumping down your throat, Smallville it just looked like you weren't listening." Lois gave him and apologetic smile, then placed her empty carton aside with the others before draining the remains of her champagne. "Anyway, Mr. Alvarez has worked there from the age of twenty and has a wife and two kids to care for." She mirrored Clark's position by leaning back on her hands, and had her eyes locked on his while continuing her story.

Clark gave soft nods and mumbles of agreement while she spoke, but her voice became an echo in a tunnel as his thoughts were once again occupied. _The final confession will have to be approached carefully and __timed right because it could mean the end or the beginning of us, and we haven't even begun yet. _He then tried to focus on Lois's story but his mind became filled with scenarios of her reaction to his secret_._

Lois brought her story to a close saying in an angry and concerned tone, "And now this new boss has just stepped in and fired Alvarez and most of his employers because of their age. Most of the workers have families to feed and now they stand to lose everything because they've lost their only source of income. That's why all hell broke loose; the workers were simply defending their jobs." She looked at Clark for his reaction and her anger increased ten fold because his eyes were closed, he was tapping his fingers on the blanket and had a deep pensive expression on his face. "Clark, are you even listening to me?"

He nodded his head in reply, adding a soft mumbled, "Mm-hmm."

She growled annoyed at his ignorance and tested his hearing, saying, "So Santa walked out, shot all his elves and reindeers then did the Saint Nick jig while ringing his jingle bells."

Clark again nodded his head, only to seconds later quickly sit up, looking directly at her exclaiming. "Wait, what? I'm confused."

"Look who finally returned from out of space," Lois gruffly commented. "You didn't hear a single word I said, did you?"

"Yes I did." When she gave a snort and look of disbelief, he shook his head and apologetically replied, "Ok, I didn't. I heard something about source of income but then my mind trailed off. I'm really sorry."

"That part about the source of income was at the END of the story." She rolled her eyes, waved her hand between them and said, "Now you can just wait and read the article like everyone else."

Clark knew by her tone of voice that she was annoyed. It was the same tone she had used with him ever since her return from Star City and since he had stood her up at the coffee place. So when he suddenly heard a song that suited his feelings for her, he put part two of his plan into action.

Clark rose up off the blanket, extended his hand out to Lois and asked in a soft husky voice, "Dance with me?"

Lois glared at him for a few seconds, the pain still fresh at him once again ignoring her, and then reluctantly nodded her head in agreement. She smiled warmly while placing her hand in his, allowing him to pull her up off the blanket straight into his arms. Then they began to move to the uplifting music emanating from the radio, eyes locked directly on one another's.

"Lois, I'm really sorry for not listening to your story before, I've just got a lot on my mind. I did hear a bit of it but then my mind trailed off . . . which I know was wrong."

"It's ok, Clark," Lois said as they continued to sway to the music.

"No, it's not." Quickly adding, "By the way, did I say I'm sorry?"

"Yes, you did and it's really okay." The sincerity in his voice and in his blue eyes made Lois's features and voice soften as she asked, "What's on your mind? I can dance and listen at the same time."

Clark smirked, spun Lois out and then back into his arms. "Well . . . it's to do with my last two confessions."

"I forgot there were two more confessions." She slid her hands slowly up his chest and over his shoulders before winding her arms around his neck saying, "Go ahead, and confess to me, my Smallville."

They chuckled at Lois's attempt at a priest's voice and then danced in silence, wrapped in a warm embrace, gazing adoringly into each others eyes. Clark took a few minutes to gain the courage to make his confession, and then smiled and took a deep breath.

"Lois my second confession is . . . that I wanted to kiss you at the reception. Actually, I wanted to kiss you before the wedding. When you walked down the stairs dressed in that stunning orange dress, you blew me away. Then when you assisted me with my cufflinks, your touch set me on fire that I just wanted to pull you into my arms and kiss you senseless."

"Really?" Lois asked seductively.

He nodded his head embarrassed at how much he had revealed, while continuing to sway to the music. "As we danced at the reception, I was so nervous that I couldn't look at your face and my heart was racing extremely fast, I felt like it was going to jump right out of my chest. Then that couple bumped into us I thought you were going to run, but you didn't." They stopped dancing and looked into each others eyes. "Our hands and eyes locked. We inched closer and you placed your hand over my heart."

"You mean like this?" Lois demonstrated inching closer and placing her hand on his chest.

Clark gently placed a hand over hers, gulping nervously because of the intensity he felt from a simple touch of her hand. "Yeah, that's . . . umm . . . definitely how it was."

"Definitely." Their lips sat inches apart, mere moments from connecting, but unfortunately the memory of what took place next came flooding back, so she pulled away, looked up and reminded him with a twinge of anger in her tone, "Then from out of the darkness Lana entered and it was as if nothing happened between us, as if I never existed."

Clark looked down at the ground, all the guilt and shame he had felt when he had realized his actions from that night. "I know . . . and I'm sorry." He looked up and saw tears glistening in her eyes.

"Why did you do it?" She had finally asked the one question that had been burning inside her.

He sighed and roughly ran a hand through his hair out of frustration. "I got confused. You got closure with Oliver, both times you broke up, but I didn't with Lana. She just up and disappeared leaving me that damn DVD. Her sudden reappearance at the wedding threw me and . . . I didn't know how to react. And when I turned around, you had walked away.

"Well you acted as if I didn't even exist. I needed to go and cool off," she said defensively.

Clark stepped closer to her, placed one arm around her waist and cupped her cheek with his other hand. "I don't blame you, Lois. After the way I treated you at the reception and stood you up at the café . . . if I were you, I wouldn't want anything to do with me ever again."

"Well that was what I had planned to do, but," She rested her hands flat on his chest, looked up at him and smiled saying, "No matter how much you hurt me or how deep I buried my feelings . . . all it took was one look or one word from you and I was in love all over again."

Clark raised his eyebrows, smirked amusedly and coiled his arms around her waist. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that please."

Lois grumbled, "What! You weren't listening . . . again?" She playfully slapped his chest twice and scolded him saying, "Well forget it, Kent. I'm not repeating it."

He chuckled softly and captured her hands with his. "No, I heard exactly what you said. I just want you to repeat One. Specific. Word."

Lois looked at him straight faced, holding back the grin she felt trying to burst through, knowing exactly which word he was talking about. "And which word would that be?"

"Starts with L and ends with E," Clark replied, pulling her in closer and leaning his forehead on hers.

"Hmm, oh, you mean love?" She teased.

"You love me," he asked hopefully.

"Maybe a little bit." Clark tickled her side making her laugh and squirm in his arms. Then she moved her lips closer to his whispering, "Ok a lot. I love you, Clark—"

Clark cut her off before she could finish talking by claiming her lips with his in a heady, passionate kiss. He moaned softly when she reciprocated as passionately as him and when he felt her wind her arms around his neck to deepen the kiss. They soon parted and stood with their foreheads resting together, smiling while gazing deeply into each others eyes.

Clark whispered, "You know, I think you may be right."

"About what?" Lois asked giving him a quick peck.

"Wild Cherry," he replied in a playful tone, adding, "All other flavors simply fail in comparison."

Lois rolled her eyes and grinned realizing what he was talking about. "Really? So you're coming out of your wheelhouse then?"

"As God as my witness, I'm never going to taste another flavor again," Clark gleefully exclaimed against her lips.

"I'll hold you to that."

Clark sensually ran his hand up her back and through her brown locks before softly cupping the back of her head, tipping it up towards him. He brushed his lips gently over hers at first and then as their mouths finally joined, her lips parted under his and they finally allowed themselves a chance at real love, a chance at something that felt right.

While they kissed passionately under the night sky, the lights and sounds of the city below, everyone and everything faded away as if they were the only ones that existed. Unknown to them, they were so lost in their passion, that neither had realized they no longer stood on the roof. Instead they were floating further and further up into the night sky, surrounded by brightly twinkling stars as if the universe were expressing its own joy.

Several breathless minutes later, Lois and Clark parted giving each other soft pecks, breathing heavily and smiling happier than they've ever been before. Unable to speak, Lois closed her eyes and rested her head on his chest smiling at how fast and hard both their hearts were racing.

"Wow," she breathed out. "I feel like I'm floating on air."

"I agree," Clark replied. Then when he saw they actually were floating, he tried to quickly and safely bring them back down before she opened her eyes.

Lois suddenly felt Clark tense up and heard his heart racing faster than it was, so she opened her eyes and frowned confused and scared as she realized she could almost touch the gold globe and the green glass roof of the Daily Planet.

"Umm, Smallville." She slowly looked down at her feet and gasped at the sight of the city below her. Then quickly looked up into Clark's eyes and exclaimed startled, "What the Hell!"

Clark gulped nervously, stared at her with fear in his eyes and stammered, "Uh, Lois, I . . . well I can explain this."

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 3**

"Great," Lois gulped while looking down, only to quickly look up into his eyes adding, "I can't wait to hear it."

"And you will once I've got us safely on our feet," Clark assured her while continuing to slowly float them back down to the roof. "I just need to concentrate," he added after faltering a little bit.

"Don't ever do that again," Lois scolded, slapping his chest as he quickly recovered.

"Sorry. It's just this is the first time I've done this."

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that, please," she exclaimed winding her arms tighter around his neck and tucking her face into his shoulder.

"Just hold on, Lois, I've got you," he told her with a reassuring smile.

Lois lifted her face up and scoffed, "You've got me? Yeah right."

Clark chuckled and smiled at her reaction, brushed his lips softly over hers then placed all his focus at keeping them safe as he continued to descend down to the roof. Feeling confident in himself he gradually increased speed, but when he heard Lois softly growl he slowed back down.

"I won't let you fall," he again tried to reassure her.

"Well that's comforting, considering you've never DONE this before," she stated sarcastically.

"Actually I have . . . just not as myself." He glanced at her quickly adding, "It's hard to explain."

"That's what you always say," Lois huffed annoyed at his cryptic answer, not realizing they had landed.

"But I can now, considering we're back safely on the roof," Clark stated, stamping his foot for verification.

Lois felt around with her with own feet, then looked down and sighed relieved at seeing they were standing on the blanket. Then she removed her arms from around his neck, leaned down to pick up the bottle of champagne and after taking a long swig, pointed up at the sky saying, "Ok Smallville, start explaining."

_Ok!, Yes, the floating has just thrown a wrench in the plan, but like when anything goes wrong you just change strategy, so it's now or never. I just hope she doesn't run,_ Clark said encouraging himself.

"Earth to Clark Kent, come in Clark Kent," she teased waving her hand back and forth in front of his face.

"Sorry," Clark said, shaking his head, taking deep breaths to prepare. "It's just what I have to say, might make you feel differently about me."

"Doubt it. I've gotten used to your weirdness over the years, so nothing you tell me will change how I feel about you." Lois smiled reassuringly then placed a hand on his cheek, adding, "I'll still love you."

Clark snaked his arm around her waist, pulled her in and kissed her hard on the mouth. "I love you, too and hope what you said is true. Because Lois," he took a deep breath, looked directly into her eyes and calmly said, "My name is Kal-El, the only son of Jor-El and Lara. I was born on a planet called Krypton and possess many different abilities." Then he quickly added, "Oh, and I'm the Red Blue Blur."

Lois pushed out of his arms, stared at him skeptically for a few seconds and then said, "But that would make you a . . . well a . . ." she cupped a hand over her mouth exclaiming, "Oh. My. God."

"Lois, I know this is a lot to take in all at once." Clark stepped towards her continuing, "But I wanted to tell you because I love you and so you could understand this secret I've carried around with me all these years. I've never willingly told anyone. The people that do know found out by accident or conned and manipulated it out of me."

She waved her hand and with a quick half smile, said, "I'm fine. I'm perfectly . . . fine."

"Are you sure?" Clark asked concerned, placing his hands on her hips.

"Yeah, I'm sure," she reassured him, adding in a teasing tone, "At least now your sudden appearances and disappearances as well as your half baked excuses make sense."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Clark said rolling his eyes.

Lois smiled, took a step back and then stood with her arms folded across her chest, summing him up. Then she shook her head, saying, "I lived with you. We work together and spend practically all our spare time together, so how did I not figure out you're a—"

"Alien. Freak, take your pick," he grunted, turning and walking over to lean on the ledge.

"Actually, what I was going to say is a hero," she corrected walking over and standing beside him. "Clark, you're the Red Blue Blur, a hero who sacrifices his life every day to save the people of Metropolis."

"I'm just doing what I was sent here to do," Clark responded proudly, while looking out at the city.

"Well we appreciate it." She then gestured to herself and added, "Not to mention, you've saved my life countless times."

"Something I see myself having to do on a regular basis," Clark teased, smirking at her.

Lois glowered and punched him in the arm then looked over the ledge saying, "Want me to toss you over for that remark?"

Clark looked over and then faced her. "Well you could, but you'd only damage the car or sidewalk because I'm invulnerable."

"Wait! So nothing hurts you?"

"Meteor rocks and magic, they're the only thing."

"Wow." Then she realized what he said. "Hang on a minute. So all the punches in the arm I've given you since we've known each other—?"

"Never felt them. Had to pretend they hurt so you didn't suspect anything," he responded, laughing as she continuously punched him in the arm.

"Well that's not fair," she grumbled giving him one last punch. "Alright, moving on, so who else besides your parent's know the big Kent Family Secret?"

Clark exhaled loudly, "My friend Pete, but I had to tell him because he found my spaceship and was going to have it posted in the paper and considering we're reporters, we both know what would've happened."

She nodded her head in agreement, "They would've investigated non stop, which would've eventually led to you and then taken you away to be investigated on, so good choice."

He nodded his head and then continued. "Chloe, but I'll let her tell you that story," again she nodded, "Oliver because I saved his life from you and—"

"Wait! What do you mean saved him from me?" Lois interrupted.

"Remember when he rescued you from those thugs," Clark nervously cleared his throat a couple of times knowing that she was going to figure out the truth by his answer, if she hadn't already, "and you were about to remove his glasses to find out who was under the hood?"

"You know Oliver is Green Arrow?" When he nodded his head, she added, "And you made the lights explode?"

Clark again nodded, "I shot beams of fire out of my eyes, to cause a distraction so he could get away."

Lois gazed him up and down in amazement and admiration "You shoot fire out of your eyes and considering you're the Red Blue Blur, you can run fast and you can fly? So what other weapons are you hiding in that rock hard arsenal of yours?"

Clark felt the blood rush to his cheeks with embarrassment because of the comment Lois made about his body. He was trying so hard to keep up his confidant composure and not turn into the bumbling, shy fool he usually is around her, so he pushed himself off the ledge and stood up straight and tall.

He then took a deep breath and calmly replied, "I can hear a dog bark from miles away. I'm strong enough to catch a car flying in mid air or lift a tractor up over my head. I have a strong breath that can blow a barn door clear off it's hinges." He saw her mouth open wide with realization and waited for the outburst.

"That was you?" He nodded his head with a wide grin on his face. "That could've killed me."

"I know and I'm very sorry but . . . well it did start your reporting career." She bit her bottom lip deep in thought for a few seconds and then simply poked her tongue at him so he continued, "And I can see through everything except for lead."

"That's al . . . wait!" The realization of what he said struck her, so she placed her hands over her chest and nervously asked, "Expand on that whole seeing through objects?"

When Clark saw Lois's hands placed over her chest protectively, he quickly reassured her, "No, Lois . . . I have to be concentrating." Then he grinned mischievously and glanced at her intensely, saying, "Besides, I'd never do that to you."

Lois caught the mischievous grin on his face, so she playfully slapped and scolded him, "Hey! Did you just use your vision gizmo on me?"

"What! Why I'd never," he gasped offended with a wide grin on his face, quickly mumbling, "Blue underwear, my favorite color."

"Hey!" She protested.

"Come on, we've already seen each other naked. Correction, you've seen me naked twice." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively. "I was dirty and naked both times and you were wet and naked, with coincidentally a blue towel wrapped around you."

Lois's blushed slightly at the memory of the times they were talking about, so she quickly changed the topic to hide her embarrassment. "Carrying on . . . so who else knows your secret?"

Clark grumbled, "Lana because she manipulated it out of me," while he turned to look back out at the city. Then he finished in one breath, "And Lionel, Lex and Tess but those three come with an extremely long story behind them."

"Ooookay," Lois drawled out confused and stunned. "I can understand Pete, Chloe, Oliver and even Lana knowing because you had ties to them, but I need to hear that story to understand about the other three, because you had to be out of your mind or drugged to tell them, Smallville."

Clark looked at the Luthorcorp building, the place where Lionel Luthors life was brought to a sudden end, by his own sons hands. Well it hadn't been proven but Clark was quite certain that's how it had happened. He stood remembering the good and bad sides of a man who was his birth fathers emissary and became his confidant.

Then he turned his head to look at Lois and softly said, "Lionel knew the secret for a reason, Lois. A connection had been made with him and a few others before I even arrived here."

"I . . . I don't understand. How is that even possible? And who are the others you talk about?" Lois frowned and shook her head trying to make sense of what he said.

Clark smiled understandingly recognizing the same emotions he had felt the day he found out about the Veritas group and the connection. "I know it's confusing, Lois. I remember being as confused as you when I discovered all about it." He reached up placed a lock of hair behind her ear and moved closer. "I promise it will all make sense when you hear the explanation and then you'll understand how Lex and Tess came to know." He then sighed distressed and said, "There's also Davis to consider as well."

"What about Davis? How exactly does a paramedic fit into all of this?"

Clark turned to look back out at the city and said in a troubled tone, "Davis . . . well I'm not fully sure of. There's just something about him . . . I think he may be dangerous."

Lois looked at him, her reporter side coming out insanely curious to hear more. "I don't even know what to say. But I really want to hear everything you can or want to tell me."

"EVERYTHING Lois, I want to tell you everything," Clark emphasized as he moved behind her, winding his arms around her waist. "We'll even do it like an interview. You ask questions and I'll answer them truthfully."

She turned around in his arms and eagerly exclaimed, "You got yourself a deal. But considering they seem like long explanations, I think we should move to my apartment where it's warm and there's a comfy couch to sit on while we talk."

"That's a very good idea," Clark hummed pulling her in closer to his body.

"Of course it is, I thought of it," Lois agreed, placing her hands on his chest, leaning up on her toes and brushing her lips softly against his. Then she pushed him away teasingly saying, "But we need to clean up first."

Clark winked and super sped away, only to within seconds reappear with a smug grin on his face, triumphantly exclaiming, "Done!" But the grin disappeared as he took in the look on Lois' face and realized she had just discovered another of his secrets.

The second that Clark sped away, Lois was struck with a two year old memory of her Alley Kissing Bandit disappearing the same way. _I knew that kiss felt familiar before. My memorable alley kiss was with Smallville and that sneaky alien simply stood in front of me with a smug grin while I told him how much it affected me. _When he reappeared in front of her, she gave him a steely glare. "That super speed sure must come in handy, hey Smallville? Helps you make quick getaways, like perhaps after KISSING someone in an ALLEY in front of their boyfriend."

Clark gulped under her intense glare and quickly apologized, "Lois, I'm sorry. I swear I was going to tell you. I know you're angry but at least let me explain—"

Lois chuckled and held her hand up to stop him from talking. "I'm sure it's a very interesting story and I can't wait to hear it, just not right now." She then saw the roof was completely clear. "Umm . . . where the hell has everything gone?"

Clark grinned, listing off his fingers saying, "The blanket, lights and stereo are back at the farm. My backpack and your bag and flowers are on your balcony, and the garbage is in the bins in the alley." When she stood in a stunned silence, he couldn't help but ask why she didn't want to talk. "Lois, why aren't you asking me about taking Ollie's side?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "Because there are more important things to discuss."

"Aren't you angry that we fooled you?"

"Not really, I already dealt with the anger," she said shaking her head. "I would however like to know why you took Robin Hoods side, considering you and I planned the entire set up, but that can wait." Hearing Clark breathe a sigh of relief, she pointed her finger at him and added warningly, "This isn't over, so don't think you're getting away with anything."

Clark held his hands up in surrender. "The thought never even crossed my mind."

"Good."

"What about Oliver?" _Don't do it, Clark, don't do it. _"I mean he played a part in the set up as well."

Lois rolled her eyes at his petulant tone and grinned mischievously. "Oh, don't worry; he's not getting away with it either." She then turned and headed towards the steel door, but was stopped when Clark's arm grasped a hold of her hand.

"Where do you think you're going, Miss Lane?" He asked using a husky tone.

"I thought we were going to my apartment," she stated, turning around to face him.

"We are," Clark replied pulling her closer to his body. "We're just going a special way, if you think you can trust me."

"Are you talking about?" Lois queried made a flying gesture with her hand.

"Like I said, only if you feel you can trust me," he answered, feeling unsure if he should attempt it.

She jumped into his arms, smiling as his arms caught her, saying, "I trust you." placing a soft kiss on his lips for encouragement, Lois said against his lips, "Now, up, up and away, Smallville. You can do it."

Clark still had doubts about attempting to fly with her in his arms, but feeling Lois's trust and confidence seeping into him, he walked over and stepped up on the ledge. _Here we go,_ he thought before leaping them high above the city and then straightening out, flying in the direction of her apartment.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

**Ahhhh! What's this you see? It's the long overdue update. I really do apologize for the long wait but I have been extremely ill and laid up for the last 2 months with 3 different viruses and am only now beginning to feel better. However to make it up to you all, I have an extremely long and hopefully enjoyable update. I had a lot of fun writing it and hope you have fun reading it. Now, here is part 4****.**

**Part 4**

The second Clark stepped up onto the ledge and leaped, sending them soaring amongst the stars, an image flashed inside her mind. Clark holding her close, her arms wrapped around him tightly smiling at him impressed, and the confident expression on his face as he looked straight ahead. Only it disappeared as fast as it began, so she shook her head wondering what it meant.

Considering it was his first attempt flying with someone, she was reluctant to break his concentration, so bit her lower lip and attempted to wait until they landed on her balcony to question him. Unfortunately, her Investigative reporter side had other ideas. "Clark, does this feel familiar to you?"

Clark gave her a quick sideways glance and saw confusion in her eyes. "Does what feel familiar?"

"This," she stated stretching one arm out wide. "Flying in your arms. The view. Your expression, it all feels familiar."

"Well, maybe you're thinking about your nightmare. You know, the guy in the blue tights that flies around with a red cape," he suggested, slowing down as they approached her apartment.

"Yeah, maybe. Except…" She gazed at Clark with a wide grin on her face and a slight blush to her cheeks. "He's not a nightmare anymore. He became a dream when—"

"When what?" Clark asked, turning himself upright. Then her silence piqued his interest, so while making his slow descent, asked again. "When what, Lois?"

"Nothing. Never mind. You're right. I probably was remembering a dream." They touched down on the balcony beside her outdoor dining set, and after Clark gently placed her down on her feet, Lois retrieved her flowers and handbag from the table, sighing, "It's just . . . it felt so real."

Clark ran a hand roughly through his hair, angry at himself, knowing he was the cause of her uncertainty. "I'm so sorry, Lois." as she turned around throwing him a questioning glare, he quickly clarified. "I have another confession to make."

"Really?" She teased. "And here I was thinking all confessions had been made."

He walked over to the ledge, shaking his head, and gazing up at the night sky. "No, there's one more and I'm afraid that once I tell you, you'll never want to speak to me again. It's kind of why I didn't tell you in the first place."

She smiled at him reassuringly. "I'm sure it can't be that bad."

Thenasshe turned her back and headed towards the glass doors, Clark cleared his throat. "The reason the flying felt familiar is because . . . well, we have kind of done that before."

Lois froze with her fingers on the handle, then slowly turned around to look at him. "But . . . I only just found out about your abilities. I'm sure I'd remember doing something like that."

"Well, technically we didn't fly. We just jumped across half the city," Clark corrected.

Lois recalled the image she'd had before while they were flying, then tilted her head to the side. "Why can't I remember it?"

"Because . . . red meteor rock was involved," Clark answered regretfully.

It took Lois all of a few seconds to realize what night he was talking about. She remembered the dreams that had haunted her since that night and realized they weren't dreams. They were memories forgotten and erased which angered her.

_And here it comes,_ Clark warned himself, seeing the steely glare aimed at him.

"VALENTINES DAY!" She exclaimed, quickly looking around hoping none of her neighbors were going to come out.

"Nobody's home, Lois. I already checked," Clark reassured her gesturing to his ears.

"I couldn't care less." Lois stalked towards him and jabbed her finger in his chest. "You lied to me. You remember, don't you?"

"Actually . . . I never said anything," Clark cautiously corrected her, grabbing a hold of her finger. "You only presumed I didn't remember."

"Well, that should've been your cue to say, 'Lois, I do remember. Would you like to know what happened?' But you didn't." She snatched her finger out of his grip.

"Because I wanted to protect you."

She scoffed, "Protect me from what?"

"From any further embarrassment," Clark huffed, raising his voice an octave.

"Hey! I wasn't embarrassed," she stated defensively.

"Yes, you were." He moved towards her, only to step back at the warning glare she sent his way and then lowered his voice. "When you came up to the loft the next day, you could barely look my mom or I in the eyes. Not to mention you were embarrassed having my name on your, umm…" He shyly gestured to her chest.

"Breast?"

"Yes, breast," he said with a sarcastic grin. Then he trailed off and smiled as the image of the tattoo on her breast with their names together inside a red heart appeared in his mind. But at the clearing of her throat he shook it away. "And . . . if I had told you everything else that had happened that night, it just would've made it worse."

"Come on, surely it couldn't have been that bad?"

Clark shoved his hands into his pockets and looked down at the ground, rocking back and forth on his feet avoiding eye contact with her.

"Oh god, it was bad. Ok, tell me. No wait, don't tell me. Ugh, I don't know." She wrestled with her decision for a few seconds longer, before waving her hand, instructing him to go ahead.

"Are you sure? Because once it's out there, it can't be taken back."

"Yes, tell me. I want to . . . no, I need to know."

"Snippets or full story?" He was trying to hold off the inevitable for as long as possible.

"I don't care, just get on with it," she demanded, clearly frustrated.

Clark gestured at the door and took a step forwards. "Maybe we should go inside, you know, where it's warm."

Lois placed her hands flat against his chest and pushed him back up against the ledge, stopping him from advancing any further. "Here is just fine. Now stop stalling."

"Fine!" He held a hand up and counted off his fingers. "You threw yourself at me and seduced me at the farm. Seduced me at the Daily Planet and then from there we were even. The end."

"Pff. Not good enough. There has to be more to the story to make you avoid telling me," Lois said, shaking her head. "So start at the beginning."

Clark leaned back against the ledge, released a heavy sigh of defeat and contemplated how to begin. As he watched her walk over and sit down at the table, he decided to face it head on by telling her everything, consequences be damned. So he began with what happened after his mom let her inside.

"I apologized for Jimmy setting us up and then turned around and saw you dressed in . . ." He thought of the appropriate way to describe her outfit but could only come up with, "Well… something you wouldn't normally wear."

"Like what?" Lois asked, fearing it had been something plaid.

"I don't know how to describe it." He looked at Lois and recalled the image of her standing in the living room, wearing a seductive outfit and that sexy smile that made him weak and breathless as if there were Kryptonite around. "Although . . . I remember mom used the word revealing a few times."

_Oh god!_ Lois covered her face with her hands, silently screamed into them as she attempted to visualize the outfit in her mind and then mumbled, "Was it worse than what I was wearing at the Luthor Mansion?"

Clark was unsure of how to answer the question without humiliating her. So he simply replied, "Revealing. It's the only word appropriate to use."

Lois looked at Clark and opened her mouth to ask a question, but froze and looked down at the roses on the table in front of her instead. She began to nervously pick at the petals, silently asking herself, _how revealing could it have been? And do I really want to know? _She already knew the answer but needed to hear it from his mouth. When she lifted her head up to ask, Clark stood with a big grin on his face, lost deep in thought again.

"Huh, what?" Clark broke out of his thoughts, to see Lois snapping her fingers and waving her hand. "Sorry, did you ask me something?"

"No, but I would like to know exactly how revealing? I mean were any parts of my body visible?" _Please say no. Please say no. God, please say no._

Clark glanced at her chest and quickly turned away, hiding the smirk forming on his face. Then he coughed. "Your cleavage."

Lois heard him and unconsciously looked down, mentally slapping herself in disbelief. Clark had turned his back to her and an awkward silence fell upon them, so she placed a hand to her ear and said, "I'm sorry, what was that?"

He turned back around, looked everywhere but at her and mumbled, "Your cleavage."

"Sorry, still couldn't quite hear you, could you speak up?" _That's it,_ _keep the upper hand. Get him to say something that would embarrass himself._ "Oh and if you could be more specific that would be great," she added with a thumb up gesture. _Besides, he owes me for hiding the truth all this time,_ she thought, trying hard not to burst out laughing.

When Clark realized she was torturing him, he tried not to laugh only to find it difficult, especially when he heard her heart racing and saw her lips quivering. So he decided to get back at her. "I said," he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "YOUR CLEAVAGE, LOIS." Adding with a cocky smirk on his face, "I believe that's what the valley between your breasts is called."

"CLARK!!" she gasped, looking at her chest and covering it with her hands protectively.

He smirked triumphantly. "Oh, I'm sorry, was that not loud and specific enough for you?"

"Maybe a little too loud," she scolded lightheartedly, quickly ducking her head and fiddling with the flowers. _And way too specific._

"Well, perhaps I should stop then? Because it's only going to get worse and I don't think those roses, which cost me a lot of money to buy, can take you picking on them anymore," Clark teased, looking downwards.

Lois scowled at him, and followed where he was looking to see rose petals on the ground by her feet, so she pushed the flowers away, sternly saying, "Nice try, Smallville, but you're not getting out of it that easy." And just like that, she felt able to continue. Sure, she hadn't really been able to fluster Clark as much as she wanted to but it was enough. "Now on with the confession, Blurman."

"Blurman?!"

"Well, Red Blue Blur is a real mouthful. However, we could always go with the one I'm more partial to using." He raised his eyebrows at her intrigued, so with a wide grin she eagerly suggested, "Superdude."

"Superdude?" Clark stared at her and shook his head in adamant disagreement. "Nope. Not a chance. No way am I going to be called Superdude."

"Why not? I think it's a great name," Lois said proudly.

"Well, I don't," Clark argued.

They stared at one another, having an intense silent debate for a few seconds, but then Lois simply waved him off. "Fine, I'll come up with something else later on . . . during the interview you're going to give me." When his mouth opened to respond, she quickly pointed her finger, scolding, "Now stop trying to change the topic."

Clark exhaled dramatically. "Alright, so where was I?" He quickly recalled their conversation, grinned mischievously and said, "You asked mom to leave us alone for a few minutes. She went upstairs and then you entered the kitchen and started flirting with me."

Lois sat and stared at Clark, unable to utter a single word. Then as he began to explain in torturously slow detail exactly how she had seduced him, she placed her hands over her face and silently screamed into them. _Oh. My. God. I threw myself at him. I figured there was more to the story but now hearing the details . . . ugh, what the hell was I thinking? _

When Clark saw Lois cover her face he felt bad knowing it was only going to get worse for her. He quickly asked if she wanted him to stop, but she replied with a simple flick of her hand telling him to continue. So to ease her embarrassment Clark decided to admit a few things of his own.

"I liked the outfit you wore, especially the leather boots and miniskirt. Also as you caressed my hand, I couldn't stop smiling." He saw Lois relax and slowly remove her hands, so he went on. "And when we stood in the kitchen in each others arms, I got nervous and turned on that I caused a diversion and just sped out of there."

Lois laughed at the image that formed inside her mind and then looked up, giving him a slight smile.

Clark smiled and waved his hand in reply. No explanation was needed because they had always understood one another with a simple look. "Would you like me to keep going?"

Lois shook her head. "I have a few questions to ask first."

"Okay," Clark voiced worriedly.

Lois grinned widely. "You got turned on by me?"

"I knew you couldn't resist asking me that," Clark said, chuckling. "Fine! Yes, I got . . ." He cleared his throat a few times and looked at Lois, groaning. "I got turned on by you." Quickly adding, "I may be from outer space but I'm still a man and you're a smart, strong, attractive woman. So yeah, of course I got turned on."

"How turned on?" she smirked, "I mean, did Clark Jr.—"

"Next question please," Clark interrupted.

Lois chuckled, thoroughly enjoying riling him up. "Alright, so where did you run off to?"

Clark looked down at his feet, releasing a heavy sigh, knowing she would never let him live this down. "There's a hill about an hour and a half drive out of town where you can look out and see Smallville." Lois nodded her head understanding, so he continued. "Well I ran there, sat down on the grass and hyperventilated . . . for only God knows how long."

"Mm-hmm." She bit down hard on her bottom lip.

"Mm-hmm? That's all you can say?" She nodded her head, clenching her lips tightly and tapping her fingernails on the table. Clark could see she was trying hard not to laugh. "Lois, I just admitted to running out on you like a coward and sitting down on a hill, hyperventilating like a little girl."

"I know," she exclaimed, placing her head on the table and bursting out laughing as the vision playing in her mind made it harder to hold back any longer. Clark simply leaned back against the ledge, folded his arms across his chest and shook his head with a fond grin plastered on his lips.

Minutes later, when the laughter dulled down to soft chuckles, Lois looked up, wiping the tears from her eyes to see Clark sitting across the table from her. He gave her a tender wave and grin which made her feel guilty for laughing so hard, especially after he shared something embarrassing just to make her feel better.

"I'm sorry for laughing, Smallville" she said with an apologetic smile.

Clark smiled, brushing her apology off. "No need to, Lois. It was funny. Well, not at the time, but now it is."

"Yeah. But you only shared that story to make me feel better, and what do I do? I laugh at you." She shook her head in disbelief at herself.

"Lois, it's okay, honestly." He reached over, placing his hand on hers, tenderly saying, "Look, perhaps we should just leave the rest for some other time?"

"Are you freaking kidding me?" Lois exclaimed, standing up, hands splayed on the table, glaring down at him. "I don't care if my face turns redder than that hideous jacket of yours or if we're out here all night talking." She sat back down, eyes locked directly on his, commanding, "You will finish."

Clark held his hands up in surrender, nodding his head, knowing it was best not to argue especially considering she was so eager for details. So with a smile, he sat back in his seat explaining what happened after he left the hill and headed home.

Lois felt an array of different emotions while she sat and listened intently to everything. She felt guilty knowing she had caused both Martha and Clark to be concerned, but then felt deeply touched and slightly confused because he admitted to spending over an hour speeding around Smallville and Metropolis trying to find her. Then minutes later her humiliation returned as Clark explained, with a cocky smirk on his face, everything she did upon arrival at the Daily Planet.

"Wait! Did I really show you my breast or are you making that up?" Lois asked, interrupting.

Clark shook his head. "No, I'm not making it up. You can even ask Chloe." He grinned and pictured the scene while saying, "You walked up to me, pulled your blouse open a bit, revealing the tattoo on the top of your . . . uh, breast and told me I should get one to match."

She groaned and smothered her face in her hands, shaking her head in disbelief. Clark continued his explanation and a giggle escaped upon hearing Clark stammer his words while explaining her dragging him into a phone booth, shoving him up against the wall and kissing him hard on the lips.

"I was stunned when you planted one on me . . . but it's kind of where things became mutual between us." She uncovered her face, leaned forward to rest her chin in her hands, smirking at him, enthralled. Flustered from the memory he quickly admitted, "The red Kryptonite affected me and then . . . umm . . . we made out for…" He paused for a few seconds and turned away mumbling, "Twenty minutes, maybe more."

Lois tilted her head to the side, looked at Clark and raised her eyebrows inquisitively. "Twenty minutes? Really?"

"Or more," he corrected with a silly grin on his face and a slight blush to his cheeks. "Then we went to an abandoned office to do . . . well, a lot more than just make out," Clark added softly.

"And what, pray tell, was on the agenda in the office?" He gave a low growl and squirmed uncomfortably in his seat, so she kept baiting him. "Were you going to have your way with me on a dusty desk, Clark Kent?"

"Lo-is," he groaned uncomfortable with her blatant teasing.

"What?" She smiled and laughed innocently. Even though he was embarrassed enough, she couldn't help teasing him again. "Ooh, is there a raunchy office fantasy you're hiding from me, Smallville?"

"What? Pft . . . no, of course not," he exclaimed defensively. "It was . . . well . . . it doesn't matter." Clark sighed, remembering everything she said in the office. "The moment was broken when you figured out it was me you kissed in the alley and when you compared me to Oliver."

"And how did I compare you to Oliver?" Lois scoffed.

Clark stood up from the table and walked over towards the ledge, explaining everything that happened leading up to that moment. He smiled slightly while describing the loving embrace they shared by the window, only to turn around with his arms folded across his chest, looking at Lois with a hurt expression.

His tone became rough and mocking. "You called me normal and a dorky farm boy and said my signature move of driving a tractor, compared to Oliver saving lives as Green Arrow, was," he emphasized using finger quotes, "adorable."

Lois glared at him and stood up defensively. "Hey! I didn't know about your heritage or abilities, so to me you were just a normal-dorky-farmboy." Then she slowly sat back down, adding, "Besides, I was under the influence of something that made me say and do things beyond my control, just like you."

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry for getting angry with you," Clark apologized, silently scolding himself as he approached her. He quickly pulled his chair closer and sat down, hanging his head in shame. "It's just . . . can I ask you something?" She smiled and nodded her head. "Do you still feel that way? I mean, now that you know how different I am, do you still consider me a normal-dorky-farmboy?"

Lois nodded her head only to chuckle and playfully add, "Except I consider you a normal-dorky-farmboy and copyboy."

"Hey, I'm a reporter just like you, Lois," he pouted.

Lois pursed her lips together, then reached over and gave his cheek a playful pat. "You'll never be like me, Smallville, because you're the one who said there's only 'one' Lois Lane." As he opened his mouth to reply, she lifted a hand to cut him off. "So what happened next?"

_Do I really have to tell you, _he thought before saying in one breath, "We went to the Daily Planet roof, leaped off the ledge, landed on Oliver's Clock Tower balcony, broke into his apartment and made out a lot. End of story."

"Uh-uh, no way is that the end of the story. There are so many questions that I need answered," Lois argued, her eyebrows raised at him questionably. "Like for instance, why the hell did we go to Oliver's apartment? What do you mean by a lot? How and why did we go to the Luthor mansion? And where did you disappear to? Because when I snapped out of the lipstick's influence, you weren't there and Chloe told me we gate crashed the dinner together."

"Yeah . . . uh . . . we did," Clark stammered and gulped nervously. "I thought Chloe had filled you in on most of what happened?"

"She filled me in on a few details," Lois confirmed, nodding her head. "Not much about us or you. That's why I'm glad we're having this discussion because now I'll have all the facts."

Clark smiled and nodded in fake agreement, knowing full well she was going to feel more embarrassment and very likely get pissed off when he revealed why he had disappeared from the mansion. So in an attempt to delay the conversation he said, "Lois, aren't you feeling cold sitting out here in that outfit? Why don't you go inside, have a shower and get into something warm?" He then rose up from his seat, suggesting, "I'll make us a warm drink each, or I could run to our favorite coffee shop if you like."

"I'm perfectly fine, thank you." Lois pointed her finger at him and ordered, "Sit. Continue."

Clark sighed in defeat and slumped back down in his seat. "To answer your first question, we went to Oliver's apartment because I needed to prove to you that I wasn't the dorky farmboy you thought I was, and to show you that I was better than him."

Lois rolled her eyes and huffed in disbelief. "So we landed on his balcony, broke into his apartment and made out a lot?" Clark gave a quick shy head nod. "How much is a lot? Were clothes removed? Was there touching of any kind?" Lois threw question after question, looking at him for some kind of reaction and when fear and guilt flashed in his eyes, it made her wonder if he had lied about something else. "Oh, my God! When you said we didn't have sex, were you lying?"

"WHAT! No! That was one thing I didn't lie to you about, I promise," Clark adamantly reassured her. "Were clothes removed? Yes. Our jackets, my shirt." His cheeks burned crimson red, quickly mumbling, "Buttons were sent flying when I tore your blouse apart." He paused for a breath. "And yes, there was some touching but—"

"What the hell do you mean by 'some touching'?" Lois growled_,_ eyes widening in fear, biting her bottom lip nervously.

"Well, if you'd let me finish, I was going to say nothing too bad." At her continuous stare, Clark knew she wanted more information. So after a quick second pause, he stammered, babbled and blushed his way through explaining - in clear, precise detail - every intimate moment they had shared.

Lois sat in a state of shock at what she was hearing. Sure, she'd admit to herself that there had always been an attraction between them, but the amount of passion and intimacy he was describing was something she had only ever experienced in her dreams. Her heart pounded with excitement, imagining how explosive it would get when they eventually reached that point in their newfound relationship. _My_ _God, it's gonna be out of this world, literally._

Minutes later, she was dragged out of her R-rated thoughts by the table being bumped as Clark stood up, talking and looking down at her apologetically. "Sorry, did you say something?" she asked, watching with a questioning gaze as he turned and walked over towards the ledge, shoulders slumped and eyes downcast.

"Yes. I said," Clark slowly turned around with his hands tucked in his pockets, looking down at his feet, "We probably would've, well . . . you know . . . if I hadn't been distracted by Lex and Lana's dinner invitation sticking out of your jacket pocket."

"Oh," she sighed understandingly. "Well, I guess in one way I should be insulted that you stopped being with me all because of a piece of paper, but on the other hand, I'm also thankful you did because—"

"Because we both would've regretted it," Clark finished for her.

"More you than me. I don't remember," she reminded him cockily.

"Yeah," he replied with a curt smile. "And it's not that you didn't try to sway me back your way but—"

"You became distracted by Lana. I get it," Lois remarked off-handedly. Then in an attempt to bury the anger building inside at the realization that once again, Lana Lang had interrupted an intimate moment between them, she took a few deep breaths before continuing. "Alright, I get that Lana was the reason we ended up at the Luthor mansion and that you probably used your blurring abilities to get us from Metropolis to Smallville." Clark looked up and nodded his head. "So what happened at the mansion? Where did you disappear to?"

"What happened at the mansion?" Clark huffed at himself in disgust and then pushed off the ledge, looking at her with deep regret in his eyes. "As soon as we barged through those doors, Kal was an angry, cruel, arrogant bastard to everyone." He raked his hands roughly through his hair, saying, "Especially Mom and Chloe." He paced back and forth, agitated by the memory of every spiteful word spoken that night.

Lois watched him pace her balcony and saw the agitation growing with each step he took by the way his body tensed up. She was prepared to simply sit and wait in silence until he had calmed down but her curiosity peaked when she heard him mumble the name "Kal" a few more times.

"Clark?" He stopped mid-pace and looked at her questioningly. "Who's Kal?" she asked, eyebrows furrowed, expressing her confusion. "I thought we were talking about us and what happened at the Luthor mansion?"

"Yeah, we are," he said with an affirmative head nod. "See, when I'm under the effects of Red Kryptonite, an entirely different personality emerges. Kal-El or Kal for short. He has only one goal - to get what he wants, when he wants, no matter who he hurts in—"

"Wait!" Lois interrupted, holding a hand up. "I thought Kal-El was your Kryptonian birth name?" He bobbed his head. "So why do you keep talking about yourself in the third person? Kal. Clark. Red Blue Blur, they're all one person." She pointed at him, "You."

"No. They're not!" Clark snapped defensively. "Kal is a cold, emotionless alien who only cares about himself. Clark Kent is a normal human with normal emotions, fears and insecurities who makes mistakes. And the Red Blue Blur is a hero."

"God, are you listening to yourself? You make it sound like you have a personality disorder but you don't." She stood up and walked towards him sternly saying, "You're Clark Kent, one person. If you stepped to the side, you won't see Kal and the Red Blue Blur standing next to you, you'd only see you."

"But—"

"But nothing." Lois looked him up and down for a few seconds as if she were reading him like a book and then sympathetically asked, "Is this how you've lived your life every day? Thinking you're two – or even three – different people?"

Clark sighed and nodded his head in reply.

"Oh, Clark." Lois reached out and tenderly cupped his cheek, while placing her other hand on his chest. "We really need to change your way of thinking. Look, to people that don't know you . . . yes, you are two different identities. But to me, your mom and others that do know the truth, you're Clark Kent, and that's how you need to see yourself as well."

"I can't, Lois, so just forget it," he growled, lips pursed in annoyance.

Lois gave him a glare, showing her displeasure of his tone of voice then determinedly said, "Alright, well then I just need to think of a way to make you see sense." She slowly circled around him, quietly contemplating a different way to explain it. After a few walks around him, "I got it. The Red Kryptonite is like a drug to you, right?"

"I guess."

"Ok. Well, when a drug addict is high, they act like idiots, say and do stupid, hurtful, illegal things, correct?" Clark nodded his head. "But they are still themselves. They can't stand up in court or say to the police 'it was my drug addicted personality' and expect to get off scot free. No, they have to be held accountable for their own actions because it was still them."

Clark shook his head. "But . . ."

Lois held a hand up, warning him not to interrupt and then continued. "Now it wasn't your fault you got infected that night, that was mine for laying one on you. Then again, I had no idea the evil Gypsy woman was selling me lethal merchandise, so perhaps I should sue her." Clark chuckled so Lois punched him in the arm. "Just because you have more names then most people have pets doesn't mean that you have a different person to match all of them. So if I call you Kal or Red Blue Blur or even Smallville, I'm still talking to you." She paused to let him think about it for a moment. "Do you get what I mean now?"

Clark smiled softly and shook his head. Lois' blunt explanation seemed to reach him in a way his mom and dad had never been able to. She made it seem so simple that it made him realize how much pressure he had put himself all these years, and it made him love her even more. He pulled her into his arms for a hard, passionate kiss and parted, saying, "Yeah. I think I get it now."

"Hallelujah!" She wiped his lips softly and then walked over and sat down, smirking. "Besides, the way I see it, Kal is simply all the emotions and feelings you bottle up inside and Red Blue Blur is your Hero complex. But altogether is the man I love."

Clark smiled, stating, "You're right," while throwing his hands up in surrender.

"Duh! Of course I am," she chuckled, smiling proudly.

Clark chuckled at her proud statement and headed back over to the table. "It's funny, because Mom said basically the same thing to me the next day. She said that Red Kryptonite only drops my inhibitions but it's still me."

"Well, Martha Kent is a very smart woman. I mean, she didn't make Senator for just her looks," she retorted, leaning back comfortably in her seat.

"True, but I still can't believe with the things I said and did that night," he rolled his eyes when she gave him a thumb up for saying 'I' then continued, "That Mom and Chloe forgave me."

"Well, I've never seen you affected by Red Kryptonite and not sure I ever want to . . . but just know that if you ever are, I'll be there to snap you out of it," Lois said in an reassuring tone, while thinking, _however the hell you do that._ "But your mom and Chloe, they do know what you're like when affected by it and they love you, so that's why they forgave you."

He gave her one of the infamous Kent grins and nodded his head in agreement and understanding. But while looking into her eyes, his soul was weighed down with regret and fear, knowing she would soon ask him to continue with the tale.

Lois leaned back comfortably in her seat, smiled back at him and said, "Now Kal, don't you have a story to finish? I'm curious to know where you disappeared to."

"Kal, huh?"

She smirked and gestured with a small hand wave for him to continue.

"Well, you know I said hurtful things and got angry, so I may as well pick up from there." He stood up, taking deep breaths to calm his racing heart and proceeded to fill her in on everything that happened at the mansion and at the farm.

Lois had sat listening to every word without interrupting, eyes following him as he walked around, with an array of different emotions burning inside at what she was hearing.

After some time passed, Clark sat back down, bringing the story to an end. "Just as I felt myself losing control, Lex stabbed me with a chisel and I collapsed to the ground because Mom used Green Kryptonite to burn the Red Kryptonite out of my system." He leaned back in his seat finishing, "Then she helped me inside the house and I spent the rest of the night recovering."

"Hmm." Lois stared at him intensely, then stood up and began to head inside. Only she stopped a few feet from the doors and stood on the spot with her back facing Clark, trying to gain control of all the emotions tormenting her.

Clark sat silently staring at Lois, wondering what she was thinking, his heart racing in fear as he waited for some sort of a reaction to everything he told her. When a few minutes passed and she still remained in the same spot, not moving or speaking, Clark cautiously asked, "Lois? Are you alright? Please say something."

Lois nodded her head, releasing a soft sigh and without turning around, finally spoke. "You know . . . I really am glad that you had been distracted at Oliver's that night . . . because you're right. We would've regretted sleeping together. It's just -" She paused a moment to gather her thoughts, then slowly turned around. "It's just . . . the General would think I'm weak for admitting this . . . but I'm scared, Clark."

He slowly rose from his seat and approached her, fearfully asking, "Of me?"

"What? No, not of you. Never of you." She affectionately cupped his cheek for reassurance. "Well, at least not for the reason you're thinking. Clark, I don't care that you're Kryptonian or the Red Blue Blur, you could be from Mars and it still wouldn't matter to me. No, what I'm scared of is . . . us." She removed her hand and folded her arms across her chest, protectively. "I'm scared that if we began dating, perhaps even…" She turned her back and swallowed the lump she felt choking her in her throat before continuing. "Perhaps even began building towards a future together, that it's all going to fall apart some time down the track and one or both of us ends up hurt."

"I'll never hurt you, Lois."

"Not even if say . . . Lana returned wanting to get back together with you?" Lois asked as she spun around to see his reaction. "I mean, she was the love of your life. All you've ever wanted. How do I know that if you and I were to begin a serious relationship and Lana returned that I wouldn't be dumped, tossed aside and forgotten like yesterday's old news?"

Clark swiftly moved to her, wrapping his arms comfortingly around her waist. "That would never happen, because I love you, Lois."

Lois felt her heart race at the thought that what she'd been wanting for so long, was finally in her grasp. But then there was that little voice confusing her by screaming inside, warning her he was only settling for her until his real love came back. And the memory of their almost kiss at Chloe and Jimmy's wedding was playing inside her mind, confusing her even more.

"But it did, Clark. Three times, in fact, and Lana was the catalyst for all of them. The first and second time I don't remember, only what you just told me." Lois moved out of his arms and took a few steps backwards, feeling guilty at seeing hurt and confusion appear on his face. "However, the third time I remember clearly. You stopped me as I went to walk away and I saw the look in your eyes, Smallville. I also saw it when we shared that moment before the wedding. Don't deny you felt something because you admitted before that you wanted to kiss me."

"I don't de—"

Lois cut him off and continued in a slightly icy tone. "We were sharing a romantic slow dance . . . until that couple interrupted us, but then we stood hands entwined, eyes locked, my heart was racing and when I placed my hand on your chest, I felt your heart beating at the same speed as mine."

Clark grinned and nodded his head, remembering that moment.

"Eyes still locked we slowly leaned in and inch by inch our lips got closer. Then just as our lips were about to touch, BAM! You pulled away because Chloe called out." Her voice suddenly rose to an angrier tone. "And the moment was broken. You looked at Lana and I was forgotten, pushed aside as if I never existed, as if nothing had happened." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Just like I'm scared will happen again."

"I was confused, Lois. I just froze when she appeared. I had all these feelings towards you and they terrified me but I did want to kiss you." He stepped forwards and entwined their hands. "And I can guarantee that I won't forget you, push you aside or act as if you never existed . . . even if Lana ever did return."

She felt tears burning her eyes while fighting to hold them back, knowing that what she needed to do would hurt them both. "Look, I'm not angry. I'm confused, scared, frustrated and many other emotions that I don't like feeling." Lois brought his hands to her lips, looked deep into his eyes as she placed a soft kiss on them. "I love you, Clark. I've only ever felt this intensely about someone in my dreams." The tears finally broke through, "But . . . I need to take a step back. I need to think about . . . u . . . us."

This wasn't the reaction Clark was expecting and he felt his heart shattering at the thought of losing her already. "No! Lois, please," he pleaded.

"I'm sorry, Clark. God, I'm so sorry. But . . . I need to think about whether my heart can take the chance." She walked over to the table, collected her bag and flowers and saw he was about to say something but held her hand up and spoke before he could. "Please . . . just give me some time to think." Lois walked up, placed a soft lingering kiss on his lips and whispered brokenly, "I'll see you at work tomorrow." Then she quickly walked inside, closing the doors and curtain behind her.

Clark stood dumbfounded for a few seconds, but then ran to the doors only to find they were locked. He placed his hand on the cool glass and used his x-ray vision to see where she was. He saw her leaning against the couch, tears streaming down her face.

"Lois, please listen to me. I love you and only you," he said with such strong conviction. "While you were in Star City, Lana and I had a coffee and a talk. We realized we were better off as friends. Yes, she wanted me back but I didn't want her back. I discovered a side to Lana I had been blind to for such a long time. She felt she needed to change herself to be with me. That's not what I want." He waited to see if she replied but when all he heard was her sniffling, he continued. "I want someone who will love me and accept me for who I am. A great-big-blind-sometimes plaid wearing-sexy Intergalactic Traveler." He heard her softly giggle at his list of names but she still remained silent. "Please, Lois." Then he determinedly stated, "I'm not giving up on you. I will never leave you behind . . . well, unless I have to speed or fly off to make a save. But I'll always come back to you."

"Do . . . do you really mean that?" Lois whispered.

"Yes. Every single word," Clark guaranteed. When she didn't say anything else he sighed heavily, his own heart aching, knowing there was only one thing to do. "I'll give you the space you need, but just remember I love you. Please don't let this end before it even begins." He brought his hand to his lips, kissed the palm and then placed it back on the glass whispering lovingly. "Sweet dreams." Then he shot up into the night sky, unaware of the tearful eyes watching him.

TBC

Oh no. Will they take a chance or not? Find out in part 5. Some good news though. I have decided there will be a part 5 and an epilogue.


End file.
